<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Pain Is My Oldest Friend by evilswan</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29743017">Pain Is My Oldest Friend</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilswan/pseuds/evilswan'>evilswan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Avengers (Marvel Movies), WandaVision (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Pain, Slighlty AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:35:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,459</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29743017</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilswan/pseuds/evilswan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wanda Maximoff seemed to be destined to suffer. Whenever she thinks things are going well, that she will finally have her shot at being happy, it always ends up with her alone. It doesn't matter what she does, she always ends up alone with her pain.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Wanda Maximoff/Vision</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pain Is My Oldest Friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi and welcome to my way of dealing with the feelings WandaVision continues to give me on a weekly basis. I've had this stuck in my head ever since I watched episode 8 and I just couldn't get rid of it so I thought what the hell, and here we are. This is slightly AU for the ending because I don't believe this is how the show will end at all. If you aren't fully caught up with WandaVision I suggest you turn away, there aren't that many spoilers but the show is best enjoyed not knowing anything beforehand. Also, I'm not really a writer so I'm sorry for that, and all mistakes are my own.</p><p>Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p></p><div class="center">
  <p><em>*I don't own any of these characters, everything belongs to Marvel, I just borrowed it to deal with my emotions.</em>*</p>
</div><hr/><p>She’s alone. Again. Sitting on the ground, everything around her is gone. She’s looking at her hands <em>“Is that blood?”</em> Hers? No, not only anyway. The ground was wet and muddy, the air smelling of pain and despair and…loss. Smoke is everywhere, and screams…someone is screaming close to her but she can’t get up. Her hands are dirty and everything hurts. Her body aches, her heart is shattered, again, and her soul hurts so much she doesn’t know how she is still breathing. And that nagging voice she keeps hearing in her head doesn’t stop. She’s just so tired. Pain is her oldest friend but, somehow, she never got used to it.</p><p>Up until she was ten years old, she knew love. The Maximoffs never had much but they had each other and the house was always full of love and care. From as early as she could recall, Wanda knew her brother would always be there for her. Pietro was the other half of her, she used to say they should always share everything and never have secrets, while Pietro always said, the only reason he came into the world first was to make sure it was safe enough for her. When she was afraid, he would be brave. When she was sad, he would do anything to make her laugh. They bickered and fought like siblings do, but Wanda knew, deep in her heart, that even when he was angry at her, he would still be there holding her when she had a bad dream, or pretend to fight imaginary monsters when she was too scared of the dark. Pietro had the biggest heart she knew and he would always have her back.<br/>Wanda knew her mother would always dry her tears and take care of her scrapped knees. Iryna was kind and sweet, she would happily stay at home every day to take care of her children, make sure they were safe and as happy as they could be. Wanda doesn’t remember her mother being sad or distant, she only remembers the warmth she felt whenever her mother would smile at her. Oleg was a strong man, the strongest man in the world as far as Wanda was concerned, she doesn’t remember ever seeing her father angry, all she remembers is the feeling of having his arms around her, how safe and protected she always felt. She remembers feeling happy when they would all sit down and watch television together. She remembers how her family always indulged her when she asked to watch <em>The Dick Van Dyke Show</em> one more time, the same episode of the same season, over and over again. She remembers how her parents made sure they would always practice their English so they could have a shot at a better life. She remembers being at peace, content. And then the ground opened and swallowed her parents, and the whole world changed.</p><p>Wanda thinks of that night, how Pietro pulled her under the bed and kept holding her, as if he was afraid she would disappear too. Ten-year-old Wanda didn’t know what had just happened, were they dead? Pietro was still beside her so that was good. But this couldn’t be heaven because she wasn’t feeling at peace or happy anymore. And then the bomb hit the ground right in front of them. For the next forty-eight hours, Wanda was introduced to something she never had felt before: pain and fear. Not the pain she used to feel when she fell or hit something, this was the kind of pain that felt like her heart was being ripped off her chest. And the fear wasn’t like when it was too dark and the sounds outside were keeping her from sleeping, or when she had a bad dream and was scared the monsters were actually in the room with her. This was fear on a whole other level, she was terrified. For her parents, for herself, but mostly for Pietro. Because something inside her told her that her brother, her twin, was the only thing she had left and Wanda didn’t want to lose that. She couldn’t. So, Wanda wished, she wished with all the strength she had in her for them to make it out of there. She kept looking at that bomb and kept wishing until forty-eight hours later they were safely away from that place. Did the bomb really malfunction or was whatever it is that’s inside her that kept it from going off? Wanda didn’t know, and she really didn’t care. She was alive, Pietro was alive, and they would face the world together.</p><p>The orphanage was hard. At the beginning, they were angry all the time. Pietro would show it more than her. He also made friends easier than her. Kids seemed to be afraid of her, for some reason, so she kept to herself. It was fine, at the end of the day it would be her and her brother again. But Pietro didn’t want her to spend so much time alone so he would bring other kids around, make jokes, retell some episodes of their favorite sitcoms, and she would laugh. He would pat himself on the back, kiss her forehead, and tell her tomorrow would be better. She always went to bed thinking about Stark bombs. Tomorrow was never better though, the adults never asked if they were well, they never cared, they would make sure they ate and slept, and didn’t get into trouble, and that was it. So, when the time came and they finally left that place, neither of them missed it. But the anger stayed with both, inside like a beast trying to escape, and that’s what led to the riots. Watching heroes showing up in the world, helping people but, for some reason, never helping them, fed that beast. Eventually, that’s what led to them joining Hydra.</p><p>Hydra was unknown territory. They didn’t know what it was really, all they did know was they wanted to help the people of their country, they wanted to prevent kids from suffering like they did. They wanted to do for their country what others were doing for other places in the world. At first, Wanda didn’t want to go, part of her was scared, the other part was very curious, but Pietro only saw the opportunity to truly help others. Pietro believed, so she believed too. Soon it proved to be harder than they expected. They were separated, put in different rooms, having different things done to them. It also hurt more, mostly because they fought against it. Pietro would rebel whenever he heard his sister’s screams, and Wanda would lash out when she heard the guards hit her brother. They weren’t supposed to be apart, they were supposed to be together, to face the world together. Every day, it hurt more. More than physical pain, more than the experiments they kept doing to her, it hurt deep in her soul to be away from her brother, the only family she had left. Eventually, both of them stopped fighting. First Wanda, realizing how much worse it was whenever she gave a fight, Pietro took longer, his stubbornness speaking louder. But eventually they both stopped. And, when their powers appeared, they were finally reunited. When she first saw him, her brother barely looked like her brother, he was thinner, exhausted. He gave her a small smile, that typical Pietro smirk, put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. It used to make her feel better but, in that moment, it made her angrier, it broke her heart even more, because his smirk didn’t look the same and his arm didn’t have the strength it used to. It took time for both of them to get back to their old selves, as well as get used to their new abilities. Pietro started to have fun, running around the compound, when allowed, bringing her food whenever he could pass by the guard undetected. But Wanda’s powers made her feel…weird. It was overwhelming being able to read people’s minds, and the strength it took to control objects, it just made her want to stay away from everything, more and more. It also made her wish she could go back in time and save her parents, what she wouldn’t give to save them. In a way, she felt guilty she didn’t have those powers sooner so she could’ve done something to help them. The only comfort it gave her was thinking that at least now she could protect her brother, he didn’t have to do it all alone anymore. She still went to bed thinking about Stark bombs.</p><p>When the Avengers stormed Sokovia, they went back to the streets but now they had the advantage. Pietro would steal for them, and for others, she would worry but they’d agreed she would only use her powers when necessary. They were both angry the Avengers had come into the country for their own purposes and then left without looking back, without caring if people had died, if people were dying, if people needed help. With all those feelings and with no sure way of how to use their newly acquired powers for good, they joined Ultron. And Ultron took everything she had left. She remembers the feeling, the pain taking over her entire body, the screamed that came out of her, uncontrolled, just like the power that decimated everything around her. In one minute, she was an Avenger, fighting for good like they always wanted, in the next she was an empty shell. Ultron took her heart and crushed it to dust. Pietro was dead, now she was truly alone, nothing mattered, there was no point to anything anymore. She went to Ultron, ripped his heart out and crushed it like he had done to her, but nothing changed. It couldn’t change because, no matter how strong she was now, how mighty the Avengers were, nothing in this world could bring back the dead. Pietro came into the world first to make sure it was safe enough for her, but she couldn’t keep it safe enough for him. She had lost everything. She was the last Maximoff standing and nothing felt more heartbreaking than that.</p><p>Clint apologized, let her see her brother’s body, helped with the funeral and apologized. She told him it wasn’t his fault, Pietro died doing what he believed in, he died doing what he always wanted to do, died a hero. It wasn’t Clint’s fault. It was her fault, for letting her brother go in alone, for volunteering to stay with the key, when they were supposed to be together, fight together, die together. Natasha was the one that came to her, offered a place in the team, a place in the compound. Wanda wanted to tell her to go to hell, not being a hero had taken her parents from her, being a hero had taken her brother, not to mention the people she had hurt first under Strucker’s command, then under Ultron’s. She didn’t want anything to do with saving people anymore. But something about Natasha made her stop and listen to what the redhead had to say. They talked about pain and having red on their ledger, their mistakes and their anger at the world, and how Wanda could use all of that for the better. Natasha understood the darkness inside and, just as Clint had done for her years ago, she was doing for Wanda now: offering a way to make up for her mistakes, to be part of a team, to not be alone anymore. She didn’t believe she would ever stop feeling alone, that she would ever stop feeling the sorrow that threatened to eat her alive every day, but she still said yes, Pietro would’ve wanted her to say yes.</p><p>Wanda had no expectations about joining the Avengers, expectations had died along with the little happiness she had in her life. Her room in the compound was spacious enough, with big windows that let her watch the stars at night, and she had a television where she could continue to watch her sitcoms, looking for the same comfort it used to give her. Except now she was alone, Pietro wasn’t by her side making jokes and her parents weren’t behind them laughing. She doesn’t remember exactly when Vision started joining her for those tv sessions but she remembers perfectly when she stopped feeling so alone. They were talking about grief and love persevering and Wanda smiled, genuinely smiled for the first time since Pietro died. She stopped thinking about Stark bombs before falling asleep. Things progressed faster and smoother than she expected, it caught her off-guard how she could feel something so deeply for someone, or something, that wasn’t completely human. Maybe it was Vision’s way of seeing the world that gave her hope, maybe it was the way he didn’t judge her for her past actions, maybe it was the way he saw her as something more, but she could feel him, really feel him and there was not a bad feeling towards her. Natasha would make small jokes, it would make her blush, the redhead would laugh and say <em>“Go for it, kid. Nothing to be ashamed”</em>. Natasha had become a good friend and a mentor and Wanda was grateful for it. But Clint was the one with the advice, he told her if she was happy that was all that mattered. Clint told her that her brother would be proud and she shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting a bit of happiness for herself.</p><p>When things were finally taking a turn for the better, when she was starting to feel like she really could be happy and have people she could trust, a building blew up because of her and a civil war began. It didn’t matter how many times they told her it wasn’t her fault, innocents had died because she still couldn’t control her powers well enough, it was on her and her alone. She accepted to stay inside, to be monitored, until Clint reminded her that the only fear she could really control was her own. Just like when they were in Sokovia, Clint reminded her that she could stay hidden, but she could also step outside and face it. That civil war broke many things, it put her back in a cell this time with a collar and a vest, but it didn’t break Vision and her, they were still determined to see where their feelings would take them. They would steal moments together, while on the run and Wanda was happy, for the first time since those two days she spent under the bed with Pietro, she was truly happy. Vision had stayed with her, through the good and the bad, he supported her and helped her, and she was there for him too, they worked and Wanda was ready to do it right. To move in together, to fully live that happiness. Life, as it always seemed to be the case, had other plans, in this case those plans took the form of Thanos. She was so ready to take a leap of faith and be happy with someone, and suddenly she was being asked to kill the one person who had filled the emptiness inside her. Here she was again, having to say goodbye to the one person she loved, and this time she had to be the one doing the killing. Death seemed to follow her like a shadow, taking everyone she loved right when things were good, right when she was happy. Here came pain, again, her old friend, but this time with a twist. Because Wanda had killed Vision, she had destroyed the stone, and then she was watching everything rewind, like when her dad would rewind the episode just for her, she was seeing the stone going back to its place in Vision’s forehead, and then she watched Thanos rip it off, brutally, and Vision’s body hitting the ground, lifeless. No color, no sweet smile, no kind eyes. Nothing. Was there ever an end to pain? And could a person really die from a broken heart? Because the overwhelming sorrow she felt could kill her, she was sure of it.</p><p>She doesn’t remember the snap, or blip, or whatever people want to call it. All she remembers is the monumental grief that engulfed her. She remembers Strange telling her to get up when all she wanted was to stay on that ground and hope the Earth would swallow her, hopefully take her to some place where she could be with Vision again. But Strange kept telling her it was time to go, that this was their shot, and they could win. The opportunity to kill Thanos gave her the strength she needed and so she joined the fight. Wanda could’ve killed him too, she could’ve avenged Vision, she didn’t do it with her own hands but in the end, they still won, the price was just too high. Clint approached her, hugged her so tight she almost couldn’t breathe, when he let go, he looked at her making sure she was really there and she saw it in his eyes. It wasn’t just Vision she lost, Natasha didn’t make it either. She cried, Clint held her and they both cried. Pain was here to stay it seemed, she didn’t know if it would ever go away again.</p><p>After the funeral, she didn’t have anywhere to go. The world was different, the Avengers were no more, she didn’t have a home of her own. Clint offered his house, for as long as she wanted, and Wanda accepted it. For a few days, she stayed at the Barton Farm, Laura was very welcoming, making sure she had all she needed, always kind and generous. She would watch them being a family and it only made her miss hers more, and wonder what hers with Vision would’ve been like. Little Nathaniel came into her room one afternoon, she smiled remembering when Natasha called the kid a traitor for not being a girl, <em>“Do you know Pietro?”</em> he was looking at her with big eyes, expectantly <em>“Dad said I’m named after the bravest boy he met but he never talks much about him.”</em> She didn’t know what to say, her experience with kids wasn’t that great, but she thought honesty was the best course of action <em>“Pietro was my brother. My twin.”</em> Nathaniel’s surprise and admiration were written all over his face <em>“Twins? Really? Wow.”</em> Wanda nodded <em>“And he was brave. Very brave and very stubborn too. He was kind and sweet, and very funny. I miss him every day.”</em></p><p>
  <em> “Dad says Pietro saved his life.” </em>
</p><p><em> “He did. Along with the lives of many others.”</em> He seemed to contemplate that answer, as much as a child could, and Wanda waited looking at him, looking for similarities between this child and her brother, helplessly wondering if she ever had kids if it would be twins too.</p><p><br/><em>“I will be a hero too. When I grow up, I will be like Pietro too.”</em> Nathaniel stated, hands on his hips, firmly resolute. She smiled at him and got a smile back, then he was out the door. Coming back a second later, putting his little arms around her neck and kissing her cheek <em>“That’s from Pietro”</em> and he was off again. A tear rolled down her cheek, she missed her brother so much. She missed her family. She missed Vision. She always missed Vision. That night she packed her bag, wrote a note thanking everyone for they kindness, and left without looking back.</p><p>Once she got everything that belonged to Vision in the car, there was only one thing left to do. She paid for the room she’d been staying in, got behind the wheel and went to SWORD HQ. Wanda needed closure. Normal people used to say that helped with grief; funerals, big cries, all of that seemed to help with grief. She had cried, she cried so much she wasn’t sure there were any tears left in her, but it didn’t seem to help much. She stayed with friends but all that did was remind her of everything she had lost. The one thing left was a funeral. They weren’t able to have one for Natasha but she could have one for Vision, she just needed his body. The Director was nice at first, too nice, but soon showed his true colors. They had dismantled, dismembered the love of her life. There he was, in pieces, being picked a part like some old car at a junkyard. And this man behind her was saying he was a weapon, the man she had loved, still loved, the man who showed her she could be happy, the man who believed she was good, was being called a weapon. To her, he would always be a man, not a machine, not a super sophisticated computer, but a man. A man who accepted her and loved her for all that she is. Wanda went down, closer to him, trying to see if there was anything left, if she could hope for his return, if there was a chance…<em>” I can’t feel you.”</em> He wasn’t there anymore. There was nothing left for her anymore.</p><p>The piece of paper sat there, daring her to look. She knew Vision had plans, they never really talked about it but she knew he wanted to live the life she always wished to have, she just didn’t know how far he went to make that come true. Westview was a small town, not unlike the ones she used to watch in her sitcoms, she followed the map right to the empty space marked on the deed. <em>“To grow old in”</em> she looked around, unable to stop herself from picturing their life there. Kids running around, neighbours to chat with and gossip, a community to belong to. And Vision. Vision there with her, beside her, kissing her good morning and good night, helping her with diapers and later with school, telling her when she had to tell the kids no, because she wasn’t sure she would be able to on her own, helping with the house chores. Hugging her and holding her, making her feel loved and cared for and happy. Why would life deny her that? Why couldn’t she have what others had? Why couldn’t she be happy? She fell to the ground, empty, alone, with nothing but pain inside her and all around her.</p><p>And that led to a whole new reality that eventually, somehow, ended up here. Her fake happiness gone, her fake kids gone too, and Vision, her Vision gone again. Agatha Harkness, whoever she really was, was gone too, at one point during the fight she suggested Wanda to join her. Agatha offered her help to train and teach Wanda in the magic arts, but all Wanda could see were her kids screaming for her, scared like her and Pietro were years ago, under that bed, waiting for a bomb to go off. So, Wanda unleashed hell upon the woman hurting her children. And then Hayward made his move. Life really loved to laugh at her, for here she was again, having to fight another version of the love of her life. That body was somewhere behind her too. She can’t bring herself to look, she can’t bother to even move. She is sitting in the middle of her house, or where her house was supposed to be, with police everywhere helping those who are hurt, and those who are finally free from her hex, checking for vitals on the agents on the ground. Hayward fled the place as soon as things stopped going his way, the only one left is that woman, Monica she believed, who she is sure is dying to throw her in jail and lock her up forever. And wasn’t that what she deserved? For all the bad she had done, for all the hurt she had caused. But what about her hurt, her pain? Doesn’t matter, she’s so tired, she just wants to have it all be done with.</p><p>
  <em> Wanda. Wanda. </em>
</p><p>That damned voice. Wanda sighed. She feels a hand on her shoulder, someone sitting beside her. She looks to her side, surprised to see Monica Rambeau looking at her</p><p>“Aren’t you going to arrest me?”</p><p>“Should I?”</p><p>“Isn’t that what you people do to people like me?”</p><p>“What people, Wanda? People who lost so much they don’t even know how to breathe? People who have suffered so much pain they create a new reality just to make it all go away? Granted, that one isn’t exactly a common occurrence.”</p><p>Monica chuckles and Wanda looks at her puzzled, is this woman here to lock her up or make fun of her?</p><p>“I’m not going to arrest you, Wanda. I don’t arrest people for their grief. You don’t even know how you did it, do you? Your powers took over to protect you from all the pain you were feeling, and I’m not saying it justifies all the lives you hurt, but you’re hurt too. You don’t need to be judged or vilified.”</p><p>“So, what do I need?” Wanda kept looking at her, still trying to figure out what this stranger is doing, what her plan is. Monica shrugged, looking straight ahead</p><p>“Maybe a friend?” The captain is looking at Wanda again, with no barriers, letting the witch see the honesty in her eyes. Wanda’s laugh is unexpected. She needs more than a friend, she needs to understand what happened here, she needs to understand what her powers really are, she needs to deal with her grief. That last one seems to be hard though, considering how she barely has time to deal with one before other hits her like a train</p><p>“You’re offering to be my friend?”</p><p>“Why not? I’m a good friend.”</p><p>“Even after all I did? Even after what I did to you?”</p><p>Monica can’t lie and say she’s okay with her newfound powers but she’s not scared either. It’ll be an adjustment but it’s one she’s ready to go through.<br/>“Believe it or not, you’re not the first powered person I’ve encountered. Besides, I’ll need help too, to figure out what the hell this is and how to deal it.”</p><p>“And you expect me to help you?”</p><p>“Well, you have more experience than I do. Forget the friendship, I’ll help you figure out what the hell happened here and you’ll help me with whatever it is I got now. Let’s help each other out.”</p><p>Wanda is looking straight ahead now, watching the sky changing colors, thinking about all she lost here, again, thinking about what her brother would say about this offer, what Vision would say. She knows, deep down, both of them would say she should accept it. She needs help anyway, and she definitely could use a friend. But Wanda doesn’t believe it, nothing good comes her way this easily</p><p>“We can’t figure it out alone.” Is she looking for excuses or just stating the obvious? Let’s go with both.</p><p>“Good thing I’m not alone, then.” Monica is getting up again, she reaches her hand to Wanda and waits for the other woman to accept it.<br/>Wanda looks at Monica’s hand, an offer of mutual help, of possible friendship. She still takes a moment to think it all through, until finally she takes the offered hand. Monica is smiling, slightly smug, and turns around to the couple behind them, standing there a bit awkwardly</p><p>“Wanda, let me introduce to you Doctor Darcy Lewis.” Darcy waves “And FBI Agent Jimmy Woo. They were the ones who figured out what was happening in there, and then helped me go back to help you.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Wanda” Jimmy smiled. Wanda nodded and looked at Darcy again</p><p>“You were in there too, weren’t you?”</p><p>“Uh…yeah, for a little bit.” Darcy was a bit unsure how to react, she didn’t have a lot of experience with enhanced people. Thor didn’t count, Thor was a God.</p><p>“I’m…sorry.” And she was, she genuinely was sorry for all that she had done. All she wanted, all she still wants is to feel less…empty.</p><p>Darcy shrugged “It’s cool. I always wanted to be on a television show, anyways.”</p><p>Wanda smiled again. She doesn’t think this is a good idea but these people seem nice, she can give it a try at least.<br/>“Uh…maybe we should go because, you know, Hayward left but SWORD will still want to take this place a part for anything they can use in the future, including the source of everything” She looked sideways to Wanda “So…best to get going.” Darcy pointed at the car behind her and, at Monica’s nod and with Wanda’s agreement, they started walking towards it.</p><p>“So…your taste in sitcoms is spot on.” The doctor is looking at her in a way Wanda isn’t really used to, especially not after she put an entire town through a nightmare of that size.</p><p>“You like sitcoms too?”</p><p>“Are you kidding me? I love it.”</p><p>“The old ones are still my favorite.”</p><p>Darcy smiled and put her hand on Wanda’s shoulder “We are definitely going to get along.”<br/>This doctor was different from the other people she had met, Wanda wasn’t sure what she meant or how to feel but something in her was telling her this is a good thing. She returned the smile and kept walking.</p><p>Behind them, Jimmy walked beside Monica who was looking at Wanda talking with Darcy with a bit of pride and hope.</p><p>“We’re really going to help her, huh.” Jimmy wasn’t exactly comfortable being around someone as powerful as Wanda but he couldn’t help at being a little bit excited too. “Was that always the plan?”</p><p>“Yeah. I know grief, Jimmy. I know how she feels, maybe not to the extent she feels it but…I know it. And the only reason I didn’t lash out like her was because I had people with me, and I didn’t have her powers.” Monica sighed “She gave everything up to save the world, and yeah that didn’t work out the first time but still, nobody said so much as a thank you. She deserves to be helped, she deserves to have people on her side.”</p><p>“You know Hayward and his goons will chase us.”</p><p>“I know. We’ll be careful and we’ll be ready.” Jimmy nodded at her and they smiled. This was not going to be easy but it was the right thing to do. Darcy waved at them from the car “You guys coming or what?”</p><p>They were almost at the town limits, Wanda looked back watching everything get smaller and smaller with distance. She wasn’t leaving anything behind, there was nothing left for her, anywhere, but she couldn’t help feel sad. She still has her memories, even if it wasn’t all completely real, it felt real and her memories feel real too and it hurts. Everything still hurts, her body still aches, she’s exhausted to the bones, her heart is still in tiny little pieces but these people inside this car are determined to help her. These strangers want to help her understand her powers and deal with her pain, and that is making it all a little bit more tolerable. She’s unsure and worried but how many times can life screw her over? Maybe this time will be different. Maybe this time she will deal with all of it the right way, maybe this time she won’t be alone. She’s accepting what they’re offering and she’s hopeful, for the first time in a long time she’s hopeful things will go better.</p><p>
  <em> Wanda. Whenever you’re ready, Wanda. Whenever you’re ready. </em>
</p><p>They crossed the town limit and Wanda heard the voice again and she could swear it sounded like Agatha. She looked back one last time, let the tears in her eyes roll down her face and then looked straight ahead again. Westview was a dream that ended up being a huge nightmare, it was over now. It was time for something new, somewhere else, she had a lot to go through and it was not going to be easy but if there’s one thing she knows is she’s a survivor and she wasn’t going to be alone with her pain anymore, she is ready to go again and she will get through it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And there we go. I'm sorry, I know it hurts but at least it ends on an uplifting tone? I just believe Wanda deserves a little bit of happiness and Marvel doesn't seem to be interested in giving it to her so I thought I'd give it a try. Also everyone seems to forget how much this woman has suffered and I wanted to remind them.<br/>I hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think and if you feel like it come and say hi on Twitter @evilswan1<br/>Take care guys, stay safe :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>